Institute Contacts

Policy Series Reports

Comprehensive State Strategies for Technical Education

An emerging practice is to take a comprehensive approach to addressing each of the initiatives outlined, and use a common vision to create change. Three states—Illinois, Oregon, and Tennessee—have created comprehensive strategies aimed at addressing the skills gaps their state economies face by engaging education and industry partners from across the state. All three states have an ultimate goal of increasing the percentage of their state’s population that is workforce ready through measures targeted at every level of education with industry credentials. These states also emphasize portability, stackability, and on- and off-ramps for student workers, and include industry partners to ensure that the state is producing a competitive workforce with marketable skills. In each state, governors and legislatures have partnered in a bipartisan manner in comprehensive statewide collaborations.